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WASHINGTON – The U.S. presidential campaign finally has an official challenger to President Barack Obama in the November election. Mitt Romney secured the Republican Party’s nomination on May 29 by winning the Texas primary, which gave him enough delegates to become the party’s official nominee.

Here's a look at how Romney – a businessman and former state governor -- has said he would handle some key U.S. foreign policy issues, if elected.

GENERAL PHILOSOPHY

Advising Romney is a team of more than two dozen national security and foreign policy experts (see list below), almost two-thirds of whom held defense, intelligence, or diplomatic posts in former President George W. Bush’s administration.

Romney compares his foreign policy philosophy to that of former President Ronald Reagan.

“The overall rubric of my foreign policy will be the same as Ronald Reagan’s: Namely, 'peace through strength,'" he once said.

He also said, “A strong America is the best deterrent to war that ever has been invented.”

So Romney would confront the threat from radical Islam by strengthening U.S. intelligence services, adding 100,000 new troops to the military, and “monitoring” incoming U.S. calls from Al-Qaeda.

Under President Romney, the U.S. foreign aid budget would shrink. He has said, “I will stop sending money to any country that can take care of itself. And no foreign aid will go to countries that oppose American interests.”

ON IRAN

Romney has called Obama’s policy toward Iran “a failure.” His statements on U.S. policy toward Iran almost always mention the military option, such as during a Republican Party debate in November, when he was asked if it was worth going to war with Iran to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.

"Well, it’s worth putting in place crippling sanctions; it’s worth working with the insurgents in the country to encourage regime change in the country; and if all else fails -- if after all of the work we’ve done, there’s nothing else we could do besides take military action -- then, of course, you take military action,” he said.

Romney recently wrote in "The Washington Post” that he would press for harsh sanctions as well as “speak out on behalf of the cause of democracy in Iran and support Iranian dissidents.”

But, “most importantly,” he wrote, “I will buttress my diplomacy with a military option that will persuade the ayatollahs to abandon their nuclear ambitions.” That means keeping aircraft-carrier groups in both the eastern Mediterranean and Persian Gulf and increasing military aid to Israel.

ON AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN

The centerpiece of Romney’s position on Afghanistan is his criticism of Obama for setting a withdrawal date of 2014, which he says will allow the enemy to simply wait out the clock.

His own position on withdrawal is unclear. He recently told Fox News, “Before I take a stand on a particular course of action, I want to get the input from the people who are there,” meaning military commanders on the ground.

Romney’s stated "Af-Pak" policy includes the goal of getting a “buy-in” from Kabul and Islamabad. In that same Fox News interview, he suggested that would use more stick than carrot: “The United States enjoys significant leverage over both of these nations,” he said. “We should not be shy about using it.”

Romney also said he would make it clear to President Hamid Karzai about what the Afghan leader must do to help end the war.

“I would speak with President Karzai. I would speak with President Karzai regularly, day-to-day. We have troops in harm's way. We have almost 1,800 men and women who have been killed in Afghanistan," he said. "We have real interest in making sure that this ends well and that our mission is successful there, of having an Afghanistan that is able to maintain its sovereignty against the Taliban, against ultimately Al-Qaeda, as well.”

ON RUSSIA

Romney attracted a lot of attention earlier this year for saying in an interview with CNN that Russia is the United States' "No. 1 geopolitical foe."

"They fight every cause for the world’s worst actors,” he said.

His campaign’s official policy paper on Russia warns that the country is a “destabilizing force on the world stage” and lists reasons why: “The Kremlin’s leverage over the energy supplies of Central and Western Europe; its stockpile of nuclear weapons; its recent history of aggressive military action; and the power it wields in multilateral institutions like the United Nations.”

Romney says he would “reset the [Obama administration’s] reset,” with a strategy that seeks to “discourage aggressive or expansionist behavior.” That means reviewing the implementation of the New START treaty, for a start.

It also means that President Romney would try to reduce Russia’s influence in the former Soviet sphere by strengthening U.S. ties with Central Asian countries, through more military training and assistance and new trade pacts and education exchanges.

Last but not least, Romney says his administration would be “forthright in confronting the Russian government over its authoritarian practices” and encourage the flow of information promoting democratic values and economic opportunity.

ROMNEY'S ADVISERS

A few of the more prominent names among Romney's foreign policy and national security advisers include:

~ Cofer Black, former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism
~ Michael Hayden, the former CIA director and head of the National Security Agency
~ Eric Edelman, former undersecretary of defense for policy
~ Paula Dobriansky, former undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs
~ Michael Chertoff, former homeland security secretary
~ And Robert Joseph, former undersecretary of state for arms control and international security

Comments

Man If I was a candidate to become the president of the USA, I would promise Americans I would reclaim the moon as the 51st state.

by: Ray F. from: Lawrence, KS

May 30, 2012 16:54

Breaking news! It has been frequently observed that there is an aching abyss between a political candidate’s rhetoric and actual policy. Should MR get elected, he will inherit a much-diminished American capability to act as the sole superpower. Fiscal recklessness has nearly bankrupted the country, and once the US dollar becomes devalued, leaders in Washington will find it doubly difficult to buy influence abroad (or even at home).

by: Milovan Rafailovic from: Lake Placid, Florida

May 30, 2012 18:38

What is Romney going to do? America is running out of money, the Pentagon is getting $642 billion this year alone. Of course, he can always cut the Social Security (pension programs) and health care programs and put still more money into the military. I say, good luck, Romney.

by: Mamuka

May 30, 2012 21:01

Hey! Where's John Bolton on that list? I thought he'd be a favorite for Secretary of State

Irresponsible talk, may be a necessity of a candidate. Responsibility comes, Oops, creeps in the White House occupant, uninvited.

America ain't got money. Manpower. Machinery, Oops, war machinery. substantial monetary and military participation in, yet, one or many foreign wars, mandated by the Uncle Sam.

France has defied Barack Obama's stated and committed military aid to Afghanistan for the next ten years. Renewable for the next one hundred years if the Taliban keep the pressure.

How many presidents? How many dollars? How many fancy killing machines? How many generations of American citizens are going to sacrifice for Romney type jingoism?

Figure out yourself. My arithmetic is weak. Not as strong as a business tycoon, Mitt Romney, et al.

Peace.

...and I am Sid Harth@mysistereileen.com

by: Jack from: US

May 30, 2012 23:31

there is a good side to every coin. If Romney gets elected, he will pursue self-destructive and plainly incompetent policies similar to those of George W Bush. Which means US power will shrink even more, as Romney gets more "missions accomplished". And as the major Evil of the World, US government will find itself less capable of perpetrating crimes like bombing and killing Christians in Bosnia and Kosovo and less capable of sponsoring Wahhabi Sunni terrorism, and less capable of bankrolling corrupt and fascistic dictatorships like that of "republic of Georgia". The Axis of Evil (US-Israel-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan) will fall apart. The Good will prevail at the end, in part thanks to Romney and his likes in US government. Heil to Romney The First!

by: Eugenio from: Vienna

May 31, 2012 05:56

Guys, please do everyone a favour and elect Mitt Monkey Santorum to be your next president - so that he would extend the "stabilization and reconstruction mission" in Afghanistan for another 10 years: it would really be a pity if this show had to end exactly now when all the participants seem to have just warmed up for some real action :-(. And, yes, of course, he will also bomb Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, Syria, the DPRK, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Belarus, will free Julia Timoshenko, will save Euro, will help the US and EU economies regain economic growth, will give women flowers and children icecream :-))).

by: Leslie Goudy from: Jackson Mo USA

May 31, 2012 21:39

So, which exactly is this Romney speaking. I mean, there are so many of them